


Warm heart, cold stone

by pauladeroma



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 13:13:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16119200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pauladeroma/pseuds/pauladeroma
Summary: Sacrifices were made and Bulshar was defeated, but not everything is ok.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's a two-shot inspired by a late night chat with some friends about what will happen in the finale and its consequences. Sorry for any mistakes, this is the first draft, with no edition or read by a beta reader. Also English is not my first language.

It had been a long night, too long.

That was the first thing Nicole thought as she got to the driver seat of her police cruiser, sighing in relief as she was finally able to sit for the first time in what it felt like hours. She had never thought that being Sheriff would be easy, but being the Sheriff of a town boiling with supernatural being was ten times harder.

Nicole sighed and looked at her phone, checking the time. 9.30 a.m. She was late, she was supposed to have left almost four hours ago, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to get to the homestead before 10 a.m. Not if she wanted to go to Pussy Willows to see if Wynonna was there first. Nicole had promised her she would take care of the Earp heir, and if you knew one thing about Nicole Haught, it was that she has never broken a promise.

Nicole started the car, and adjusted the rearview mirror, getting a glimpse of the bags under her eyes, and how tired she looked overall. Those late shifts were taking a toll on her, but there were so many things she had to do, so many lives depended on her. SHE depended on her, and she couldn’t stop now. She wouldn’t. Besides, every time she closed her eyes at night, those nightmares wouldn’t let her sleep, keeping her awake till the morning. So why not do something productive if she was going to be up anyway? And she would be so tired by the time she got home, that she would simply fall on the couch and into a dreamless slumber.

She pulled away from the police station and drove to the outskirt of Purgatory. She stopped right in front of the practically 24-hour-strip club and looked back at her phone. 9.45 a.m. She hoped she could go back to get some of her clothes to take to the homestead, but she wouldn’t have time. She would do that later.

Nicole left the car and entered the club, looking around the place until she locked her eyes with the morning bartender. It had become such a common thing, her coming to gather a drunken Wynonna from there, that nobody blinked an eye anymore every time that the Sheriff entered through the door. The bartender and the girls would just greet her and point to Wynonna’s direction. Nicole sometimes would even help a late drunk patron or two to get home safely. Today, the club was pretty empty, being too late in the morning, so it wasn’t that hard to find the other woman slumped on a table, empty whiskey bottle hanging from her hand. Nicole sighed deeply and rubbed her hand over her face before checking with the bartender if she had any tab left to pay from Wynonna’s last night drinking, and then nodded when the bartender told her it was all paid already.

Nicole approached Wynonna and grabbed her arm, not caring about not scaring her. Yes, she had promised Waverly she would take care of her sister, it didn’t mean she had to be gentle about it all the time. She was late, tired, just wanted to get home soon. Wynonna was a grown ass woman, she could take it.

Wynonna jumped awake as she felt the hand on her arm, and got up in unstable legs, the hand holding the empty bottle already raised to attack whoever was in front of her. But then relaxed a little as she saw who it was. “Oh, it is you,” she mumbled, bringing the bottle to her lips, frowning as she realized it was completely empty. She looked at the bottle, blinking a few times, and put it back on the table, missing it. “Oops…” she said, not really caring and stepping aside from Nicole, stumbling to the bar. But before she could go even further, Nicole put an arm on her waist, stopping her.

“That’s enough, Wynonna. We are going home.” Nicole said, not really with patience to deal with Wynonna at the moment.

“You can go if you want… I’ll stay right here…” Wynonna replied, words all jumbled, as she got into Nicole’s face, her alcohol stink breath hitting Nicole’s nose, and the Sheriff resisted making a face.

“I’m not in the mood, Wynonna. You’ve been drinking since you left the station last night. If you don’t come with me willing, I’ll be obligated to make you...” Nicole wrapped her hand around Wynonna’s arm, pulling her a little too forceful, but for someone so drunk, Wynonna was sure strong. The heir pulled her arm back, pushing Nicole away, and she had to grab the nearest table to not just fall. When she looked up, she was met with the barrel of Peacemaker pointed right at her.

Nicole just looked at the gun, not even blinking, face emotionless. She had that damn gun pointed at her so many times that she simply stopped to care. Actually, there were times that Nicole wished Wynonna would just pull the trigger.

Not wanting to waste any more time than she had already had, Nicole in a quick movement took the Peacemaker out of Wynonna’s hand, hitting her on the head with the butt of the gun. Thanks to her quick reaction, she was able to hold Wynonna, lifting her in her arms and carrying her to her car.

After that, Nicole drove to the homestead, not really caring about the speed limit. She usually wouldn’t do something like that, but the roads were empty, and she was the sheriff, who would pull her and give her a fine?

As she got to the homestead, she did quick work with Wynonna, getting her inside, and dropping her unconscious body in her room. She would check on her later, right now Nicole just wanted to take off her uniform as soon as possible. She went upstairs, taking two steps at a time, getting in what was supposed to be her room, their room. Nicole opened the wardrobe, her body reacting in automatic mode, trying to not really think how empty that room felt, but then her eyes landed on the bed. How long has it been since she last slept on that bed? Days? Weeks? Months? Those first days were a torture, she would lay there, wide awake, after her tears had dried, thinking about what she could have done differently until she would fall in a restless sleep that made her woke up gasping for air, heart beating so fast she was afraid it would leave her chest, and tears back in her eyes, falling down her cheeks. After the third day, she knew she couldn’t sleep there anymore. It reminded her too much of Waverly. That’s when she moved to the couch. Not the best or more uncomfortable place to sleep, but still better than Waverly’s room that brought so many memories to her. She just couldn’t sleep on that bed with Waverly by her side.

Shaking her head, Nicole finished changing from her uniform. It was not time to dwell on it. She had a place to go. Leaving the uniform on the floor, she would take care of it tomorrow, her forced day off, Nicole leaves the room, closing the door. She went downstairs, saw Wynonna was still on her bed, drool pooling down on her pillow. Nicole really wanted to just leave and let the other woman deal with her hangover and headache she was sure she was going to have by the time she woke up, but that inner voice that sounded too much like Waverly’s didn’t let her. The Sheriff got a couple of painkillers and a glass of water, leaving them on the nightstand beside Wynonna’s bed.

Satisfied that she wouldn’t be distracted by her consciousness later, Nicole grabbed her jacket before living the house by the back door, walking the small distance to the newly renovated barn.

“Sorry, I’m late…” Nicole said as she entered the barn. “It was a long night. Wynonna and I had some revenant problem, and then I got help up with paperwork…” And then she stopped in front of a statue. Waverly, the love of her life. Slowly, Nicole brought her hand to Waverly’s face, caressing her cold and hard cheek, touching her forehead to Waverly’s. “Hey, baby.”

Nicole stayed like that for a few minutes, needing the comfort and strength Waverly, even in her stone form, gave her. She pulled back, and stepped back, sitting on the cot they still kept in the barn, even if Doc hadn’t used it in a long time.

“Sorry I couldn’t bring you flowers today. As I said, Wynonna and I spent a big part of last night running after some revenants, and because of that, I wasn’t able to finish all that paperwork till this morning. Being Sheriff is not easy, Waves.” Nicole smiled a little, but if anyone looked at her, they would see that smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I was only able to leave around 9.30, I couldn’t even go to my house to get some more clothes…” she chuckled, biting her lips as she looks down shaking her head.

“I know, I know. I should sell that house, I barely spend time there, but I thought…” she stopped, taking a deep breath, running her finger over her short hair “I thought that when we bring you back, and we defeat all the revenants, we could… you could move in with me... We could start…” and then she stopped, bringing her hand over her mouth, trying to hold the sob that wanted to escape. But she couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

“I lied, Waverly. I lied, I’m not okay. I can barely sleep, I’ve been taking all the night shifts possible so that I’m so exhausted by the time I get home that I pass out on the couch because I simply can’t bear the idea of falling asleep without you by my side.” Nicole was crying hard, her sobs finally leaving her lips, wrecking her body. “I still call your phone so I can hear your voicemail, pretending it is you on the other side. Leaving messages that will never be heard.”

“And then there is Wynonna. She has been a wreck since the day you sacrificed yourself! She has been careless while hunting the revenants. Drinking more and more. Most of the days I have to pick her drunken ass up from Pussy Willows.”

"And at the same time, I'm so angry at you.” With her voice going up a notch slightly, Nicole got up from the cot, pacing in front of Waverly as she tried to wipe the angry tears marking her cheeks. “Angry that I had to learn through Wynonna what you were planning to do, angry that I was the last to know. Angry that you asked me to be strong and take care of everybody. Angry that you left me alone. You made me promise to look after Wynonna, but who do I have to look after me? I'm not strong enough... not without you." And then Nicole fell on her knees, her body shaking, her voice raw as she cried while she broke down right there in the middle of the barn. "Sometimes… I just want to give up..." she whispered defeated.

Not knowing how long it has passed, Nicole kept kneeled on the ground, her painful cries turning it sniffs and quiet sobs. After what felt like million years, she finally calmed down. Nicole then got up, bracing herself as she stumbled because of her shaking legs. She brought up her arm, trying her best to wipe away the tears still running down her face.

After she deemed herself presentable again, the best as she could, Nicole walked to Waverly, resting her forehead on hers, her arms wrapping around her waist. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t want you to see me like that, breaking down right in front of you… But there are days I start to lose my hope. Every time we find something that could help us bring you back, every book, every spell, we are always met with a dead end. And I don’t know what I can do anymore… You were always the smart one, baby. I miss you so much it hurts.” Nicole then leaned in, brushing her lips over Waverly’s stoned ones, and Nicole had to hold back not to break down again, as her girlfriend’s mouth kept still. Nicole pressed her lips more firmly against stone one before pulling back, her eyes still tightly closed, her warm breath hitting Waverly’s cold face.

“I’ll bring you back, even if it is the last thing I do” Nicole mumbled determined, lips still slightly pressed against Waverly’s unmovable ones. “I love you,” she kissed her angel one last time before turning her back, leaving the barn without turning back.

But if Nicole had looked back, just for a few seconds, she would have seen a single tear falling from the eyes of Waverly’s statue form.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly's POV

When Waverly decided to sacrifice herself to defeat Bulshar, she had imagined many things, from disappearing completely to waking up in Paradise. Not in a million years she had imagined that she would be here, trapped inside her stone form, locked inside her mind. Her completely blank mind, endless black space all over her, and no matter how far she walked or ran, it would only take her nowhere. But she could hear everything around her. Was this like being in a coma felt?

Waverly knew they had put her in the barn, and they would visit her. They being Jeremy, Robin, and Nicole. Since the day they had brought her home, she hadn’t received a visit from her sister. The others kept saying she was always out trying to eliminate all the revenants, or trying to find a way to bring her back, but it still hurt. Not having her sister there.

As she heard the barn door open, Waverly listened carefully, her heartbeat speeding up as she recognized the familiar walk. “Nicole…” she smiled as she listened to the foot-dragging that her girlfriend sometimes had due to a knee injury.

_“Sorry, I’m late…”_

Waverly’s smile faltered as she heard her girlfriend’s voice. There was something wrong with the way that she sounded.

_“It was a long night…”_

There it was again. Yeah, for someone else, Nicole would sound normal, like her normal calm being, just relating her day to Waverly, like she did every day, and then continuing to tell her how they were doing everything possible to bring her back. But if Waverly was anything, it was observant. And she knew Nicole Haught. Yes, she sounded tired, but of course she would. Between being sheriff, avoiding an apocalypse, and trying to get her stone girlfriend back, Waverly wasn’t surprised she sounded so tired. But it wasn’t that. It was something Waverly couldn’t quite put her finger on. She wished she could at least see her even for a second to find out what was wrong. She hoped that Nicole would tell her when she was ready.

_“Wynonna and I had some revenant problem, and then I got held up with paperwork…”_

“You always hated paperwork…” Waverly smiled as she sat on the floor, wrapping her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees. With her eyes closed, she let herself be guided by Nicole’s sweet voice, imagining her girlfriend in front of her. Then, a warm sensation spread over her right cheek, and she had to bite her bottom lip to suppress a happy sob when she was able to clear feel Nicole’s hand caressing her.

_“Hey, baby.”_

“Hey…”  Waverly replied quietly, her hand on her cheek, pretending she was covering Nicole’s hand with her own.

 _“Sorry I couldn’t bring you flowers today._ ”

Waverly’s heart melted at Nicole’s confession. How could she have been so lucky to have a girlfriend like this?

“That’s ok, baby…. Just having you here is enough.” Waverly closed her fists, her hands itching to touch Nicole, to hold her face in them, and bring her closer to her.

_“As I said, Wynonna and I spent a big part of last night running after some revenants, and because of that, I wasn’t able to finish all that paperwork till this morning. Being Sheriff is not easy, Waves.”_

“You’re a wonderful Sheriff, Nicole. I told you this before, and I’ll keep saying it as many time as necessary. You are a wonderful Sheriff. Nedley knew this, that’s why he didn’t even think twice about passing you the torch.”

_“I was only able to leave around 9.30, I couldn’t even go to my house to get some more clothes…”_

“You really should sell that house, Nicole. You barely spent time there.”

_“I know, I know.  I should sell that house, I barely spend time there…”_

Waverly giggled, remembering all those times they talked about Nicole’s house situation.

_“I thought that when we bring you back, and we defeat all the revenants, we could… you could move in with me... We could start…”_

Realizing what Nicole was about to say, Waverly’s giggles died out, and she waited for her to conclude, her heart stopping for a little while before starting beating much faster. She was so ready to say yes to her when she thought Nicole was proposing, so yes, she would want nothing more than moving in with her, away from that damned house, away from that curse. Maybe Wynonna could move nearby with Alice, and Nicole and Waverly could start their own family.

When Nicole didn’t continue, Waverly frowned. Did Nicole leave? But she hadn’t heard the door open and close. “Nicole?” She called worried, more like a habit than anything, knowing that her girlfriend couldn’t hear her. And then, her heart broke into million pieces as she heard those anguished sobs coming from Nicole.

  _“I lied, Waverly. I lied, I’m not okay. I can barely sleep, I’ve been taking all the night shifts possible so that I’m so exhausted by the time I get home that I pass out on the couch because I simply can’t bear the idea of falling asleep without you by my side.”_

“But I’m here, baby. I’m here.” Waverly said, eyes pricking with unshed tears

_“I still call your phone so I can hear your voicemail, pretending it is you on the other side. Leaving messages that will never be heard.”_

Waverly couldn’t hold the tears anymore, letting them fall freely from her eyes as she brought her hands over her chest. She didn’t know she could hurt this much. She knew it was only in her head, but each word said by a devastated Nicole, how she couldn’t sleep with her and still called her phone just to hear her voicemail, felt like a knife was stabbing deep into her heart.

And then she jumped when Nicole’s voice raised. She was screaming or anything, but Waverly could feel hoe agitated Nicole was, how angry and frustrated she sounded.

_"And at the same time, I'm so angry at you. Angry that I had to learn through Wynonna what you were planning to do, angry that I was the last to know. Angry that you asked me to be strong and take care of everybody. Angry that you left me alone.”_

Waverly found herself sobbing with Nicole. The weight of her girlfriend’s words crushing her already broken heart. She knew that when she decided to keep Nicole in the dark about Kevin and the sacrifice until the last minute, she would hurt her, but she didn’t realize how much she would break Nicole.

“I’m sorry, baby!” Waverly cried out. “I’m so sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing because I knew that if I told you, you would be the only one that could convince me to give up. Or worse, you would try to sacrifice yourself in my place. And I could bear the thought of it.” Waverly stopped, her body shaking as she sobbed so hard it hurt. “But I know I deserve you being mad at me. I’m so sorry.”

_“You made me promise to look after Wynonna, but who do I have to look after me? I'm not strong enough... not without you."_

“Please! No, Nicole. You are so strong, one of the strongest person that I’ve ever met. You have always been my rock, the one to ground me, and I thought you could Wynonna’s too. I thought I was being selfless, that everything I did was to protect you, but the truth is... I was being selfish. Selfish because at the end I was only thinking about my pain, and I forgot yours.  I forgot you are human too. I took you for granted, and this is one of my biggest regrets.” Waverly whispered the last part, her arms wrapped around her trembling body.

And then she felt her heart stop, a chill running all over her whole body as a distressed Nicole whispered her next words.

_"Sometimes… I just want to give up..."_

It was like a hand took hold of her heart, squeezing and shattering it. It couldn’t be true. She must have heard wrong. Nicole couldn’t have said that. Her Nicole would never give up, she would fight till the end.

Waverly got on her feet and started running, not caring to which direction. She just wanted to reach her girlfriend. Deep down she knew it was useless, she would just keep walking and getting to nowhere, but at the moment she just didn’t care. Nicole needed her.

“No!  Baby, don’t say that! You can’t give up,”

As time passed, Waverly started to run even faster, desperately calling Nicole’s name until she tripped, falling on the floor.

“I’m right here… I’m right here, baby. You are not alone!” Waverly started to hit the floor angrily with her hands. “Let me out!” she screamed, the pain evident in her voice. “I stopped Bulshar, isn’t it what you wanted?” Waverly screamed at God, Kevin, her own father, whoever was responsible for putting her in this situation. “Get me out of here!”

She just stayed there, kneeled on the floor, crying and sobbing, hearing her girlfriend doing the same, and Waverly begged and begged to be set free.

When her tears had dried, and she was left feeling tired after that emotional breakdown, a warm sensation spread through her body, and that could only mean one thing. Nicole was near, holding her. Waverly wrapped her arms around herself, pretending they were Nicole’s.

_“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t want you to see me like that, breaking down right in front of you…”_

“No, baby… There is nothing wrong with it. You are allowed to break down… you don’t need to be Sheriff Haught all the time. I want you to be just Nicole, my wonderful girlfriend. My courageous, strong and loyal girlfriend that knows she can be vulnerable in front of me.” Waverly closed her eyes, concentrating on the warm surrounding her body.

_“But there are days I start to lose my hope. Every time we find something that could help us bring you back, every book, every spell, we are always met with a dead end. And I don’t know what I can do anymore… You were always the smart one, baby.”_

“I know it won’t be easy, but I believe in you and our misfit family. I believe in your determination, Nicole. And….” Waverly bit her lip before continuing, “If you need a break, I’ll be here, ok? I’ll be here waiting for you.”

_“I miss you so much it hurts.”_

“Oh, Nicole. I miss you too, baby.”

And suddenly, Waverly gasped as she felt a soft pressure over lips, and she wanted to cry, oh, how she missed Nicole’s kisses and touches. She didn’t know how much she craved for them until this moment. She barely had time to whine when Nicole pulled back before her girlfriend was again kissing her, more firmly this time. The kiss ended too soon, and Waverly’s hands itched to grab Nicole’s shirt and pull her back into another kiss.

_“I’ll bring you back, even if it is the last thing I do.”_

And Waverly believed her. There was so much determination in her girlfriend that even if Waverly didn’t want to believe her, she couldn’t.

_“I love you.”_

“And I love you, Nicole Haught, so so much” Waverly replied, love lacing her voice. She wished she had told Nicole how she felt much earlier, but this was one more reason to fight for her life. So she could show and tell her girlfriend how much she meant to her.

As Nicole kissed her again, Waverly knew their time was up, so she savored it, keeping it in her memory. Nicole pulled back, but instead of feeling distressed like the other times, Waverly just felt calm. In her heart, she knew everything was going to be ok at the end. So she let her girlfriend go, knowing she would bring her back, and it didn’t matter how long it took, she would be here waiting and loving her.

A single tear fell from her eye, but instead of being a product of sadness and despair, this tear was made from happiness and love as Waverly knew she would be reunited with the ones she loved.


End file.
